Seizing the Territory
“For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.” Psalm 27:5
I keep navigating back to the daily devotional, Daily with the King by Glynn Evans (Moody Press). I first picked up a copy back in the 90’s and have been using my hard cover edition since 2004.
Today’s reading really spoke to my heart and was a good reminder for me:
I will realize and act upon the principle that every victory must lead to an occupancy. Merely to conquer a habit, to win over an alienated friend, or to drive doubt out of my heart is not in itself sufficient. I must follow up those triumphs with being “more than a conqueror,” that is, seizing the territory so the enemy cannot recapture it.
When the Israelites conquered the Amorites, they followed up their victory by occupying the land (Numbers 21:21-32). This many any counterattack by the enemy impossible. I must nail down my victories in such a way that the counterattack is impossible. Otherwise, as Jesus reminds me in His parable, the end may be worse than the beginning (Matthew 12:43-45).
The only way to crucify my fleshly desires is to drive them from my mind [Stop and think how often we play with those desires in our mind!], then let the Holy Spirit create new, fresh desires in me. The only way I can conquer hate is to replace it with love. I cannot conquer bitterness by confessing it; I must replace it with praise and thankfulness. In short, there must be no vacancy after victory!
As Paul puts it, I must “withstand” (fight and overcome the enemy), after which I must “stand.” Too often I have withstood only to fail to stand afterward. It does not take the enemy long to recognize an unguarded post and seize it.
The city gate was the city’s most crucial defense; once lost, the whole city was lost. That is where victory will lead me on – to make inoperative those things that would keep me from enjoying what Christ dearly bought for me! “The Lord your God will Himself cross over before you; He will destroy the [enemy] from before you … Be strong and courageous!” (Deuteronomy 31:3-6, Berkley Translation)
So brothers, what areas do you need to seize and take captive today? What unguarded gate needs to be fortified and protected in your life? My guess is you already know! So you have the choice – what will it be today? Think about it. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Compass Pointers: Powerful and wily people use apologies to escape judgment for great evils, they betray a trust and, found out, they say they are sorry for mistakes in judgment. They commit a crime, and they call their crimes errors which they regret. They sneak around their offense on the oiled wheels of apology when their crime calls for nothing less than oceanic tears of remorse. Lewis Smedes
Anchored to the Rock: Even if no command to pray had existed, our very weakness would have suggested it. Fenelon
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